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pyxidium

[pik-sid-ee-uh m]
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noun, plural pyx·id·i·a [pik-sid-ee-uh] /pɪkˈsɪd i ə/. Botany.
  1. a seed vessel that opens transversely, the top part acting as a lid, as in the purslane.
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Origin of pyxidium

1825–35; < New Latin < Greek pyxídion a little box, equivalent to pyxid- (stem of pyxís) a box + -ion diminutive noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pyxidium

Historical Examples

  • Pyxis, Pyxidium, a pod opening round horizontally by a lid, 124.

    The Elements of Botany

    Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for pyxidium

pyxidium

pyxis (ˈpɪksɪs)

noun plural -ia (-ɪə) or pyxides (ˈpɪksɪˌdiːz)
  1. the dry fruit of such plants as the plantain: a capsule whose upper part falls off when mature so that the seeds are released
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Word Origin

C19: via New Latin from Greek puxidion a little box, from puxis box, pyx
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012